With a top flight coach, we’re Bama, with a mediocre coach, we’ll win 7-9 a year, with a bad coach we’re going to be bad.

Michigan hasn’t had a top 3 in the NCAA coach probably since Crisler (I think Moe has the biggest potential to do it.) We definitely haven’t had the best coach in the Big Ten for nearly decades.

Harbaugh is the best we can do. Saban, Urban, Dabo, Petersen aren’t going anywhere. Harbaugh’s probably in that next tier with Jimbo Fischer and...Brian Kelly, maybe? He’s also the only top 8ish coach who’s not completely installed his program yet. When he does he’ll likely be in the top 4.

We beat both of the Big Ten divisional champions last year, including the champion by 5 tds.

But most absurd of this is the idea that "Hoke beat OSU, but Harbaugh didn't." He beat OSU the one year they didn't have a coach with an 80+% lifetime winning percentage. In the divisions Hoke played in (without OSU) we'd be a botched punt from being back to back division champions.

Urban has won 85% of his games (90% at OSU) and Tressell won 82% at OSU.

That being said, Harbaugh will almost certainly be fine (although the QB situation is disconcerting) and Brian is right to not wade into the fire on this one. Harbaugh is the best coach we could have because there are only a handful of guys at his level or higher.

But the frustration isn’t unwarranted either. Harbaugh’s record against winning teams isn’t very good. The last time we beat a team with a +.500 winning percentage was Wisconsin last year on Oct 1. We’re 7-5 in the last 12.

Yes, gap year, etc. Part of the frustration is knowing that our rival won a title in year 3 with a third string QB.

At least here. In year 3 Urban has gone undefeated and won a national title in another season. Brian Kelly went to the national title game in year three. In year 3 Dantonio only went 8-5, next year he went 12-1.

Harbaugh is the best coach we can get. He’s also going to go 1-2 against MSU, 0-3 against OSU. He’s been outcoached, even in the wins, against the top tier of the Big Ten (OSU, PSU, MSU, Wisconsin) There’s a lot of talk about next year, but we (weirdly) have no reason to think QB play will be better. Apparently you have to be really smart like Luck and Ruddock to run Harbaighffense.

Maybe we should just stick to calling him Dantonio? It doesn't matter what formation you're in if you can't block. We haven't recruited well on the offensive line for years and we are paying the price.

I made a pact with a buddy in grad school. We didn't think too many others history Phds were going to be interested in watching football every Saturday. We went 3-9, Washington went 0-12, but I've watched almost every Washington game since.

Needless to say, rooting for Harbaugh and Petersen has been a delight.